Deworming
Use of anthelmintic drugs
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Through Parasitism and Livestock
Animals
Large animal
Horses are most often dewormed with a paste or gel placed on the back of the animal's mouth via a dosing syringe; feed dewormers are also used, both single-dose varieties and in a daily, "continuous" feed form. Deworming (drenching) a sheep is usually done with a specific drenching gun that squirts an anthelmintic into the sheep's throat. Recently anthelmintic herbal drugs and vaccines have been used against gastrointestinal nematodes due to an increase in resistance to anthelmintic drugs that showed significant potential against parasites in large animals.
Anthelmintics
Small animal
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommends deworming treatments at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age for puppies and concurrent treatments to the mother. They also recommend deworming treatments at 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks of age for kittens and the mother. Depending on animal health and lifestyle factors, quarterly treatments may also be recommended.
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Humans
Mass deworming campaigns of school children have been used both as a preventive as well as a treatment method for helminthiasis, which includes soil transmitted helminthiasis in children. Children can be treated by administering, for example, mebendazole and albendazole. The cost is relatively low. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 870 million children (half of the children in the world) are at risk of parasitic worm infection. Worm infections interfere with nutrient uptake, can lead to anemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development, and pose a serious threat to children's health, education, and productivity. Infected children are often too sick or tired to concentrate at school, or to attend at all.